ACLU calls for naming of HCSO deputy behind shooting of unarmed man

A video has surfaced showing an unarmed man with his pants down shot and killed in the middle of the street by a Harris County Sheriff's Deputy.

Media: Houston Chronicle, Kaaryn Young

The ACLU is calling for authorities to release the name of the deputy behind the fatal shooting of an apparently unarmed man last week in Greater Greenspoint.

Danny Ray Thomas was shot Thursday afternoon not long after he was spotted walking in the middle of the intersection at Imperial Valley and Greens Road with his pants around his ankles, allegedly hitting vehicles as they passed.

After the 34-year-old hit one vehicle, according to authorities, the driver hopped out and started fighting with him.

A suspect is dead, HCSO Texas reports.

A suspect is dead, HCSO Texas reports.

Image
1of/1

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 1

A suspect is dead, HCSO Texas reports.

A suspect is dead, HCSO Texas reports.

ACLU calls for naming of HCSO deputy behind shooting of unarmed man

1 / 1

Back to Gallery

A nearby deputy saw the altercation and responded. According to Houston police, who are heading up the investigation, the deputy began to fear for his safety and fired a shot.

Authorities said Thomas appeared to have had "some object" in his hand, but they did not immediately recover a weapon from the scene.

"It's difficult to imagine how this shooting could possibly be justified. We must demand that our law enforcement agencies, who are sworn to protect our communities, be held accountable whenever deadly force is used unlawfully," said Sharon Watkins-Jones, director of political strategies of the ACLU of Texas.

"But whatever the excuse, another unarmed black man has been killed by law enforcement, in the street and in broad daylight, and the only reason we know about it is because of bystander footage."

The Chronicle obtained footage of the incident from a witness - but official video has not yet been made public.

"In the immediate term, we call upon the Harris County Sheriff to release the officer's name and any audio and video recordings to the public," Watkins-Jones said. She went on to call for a "full and transparent" criminal investigation.

"In the longer term, HCSO must revisit its use of force policies to prioritize the sanctity of human life, to require patience of its officers, and to demand that lethal force only be used as a last resort," she continued. "Danny Ray Thomas should not have been killed, and with proper training in place, he wouldn't have been."

The Houston Police Department is the lead agency investigating the shooting. The Harris County Medical Examiner's Office, the Harris County Sheriff's Office and the Harris County District Attorney will also investigate.

"Our condolences go to the family of this individual," Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said afterward. "Obviously they're someone's loved one. These situations are always difficult and so the main thing we can do is to make sure that we get the facts and that we're thorough and transparent."